If you are doing option 1 twizzles (not on the same foot), which AFAIR remember, P&B do, you have to have 3 Options (new this year), one from each group. The most popular features to choose from the new Group C so far have been the entry from a 1/2 revolution jump or alternatively doing 3 sets of twizzles. So it's P&B's third feature to hope to get Level 4 on the twizzles.

To me, D/W don't get the tango at all this season. No real passionate emotion or chemistry and just big tricks set to the music without any relation. I totally disagree with ImaginaryPogue - P/B picked a mood and theme, set it from the beginning and the program works as a cohesive whole and I barely think about what element is next.

Besides, P/B are simply more elegant. Better posture and lines and they are less frantic looking. Things like D/W bad posture really bother me.

I disagree about P/B, obviously. I agree somewhat about D/W with a note that if this program stayed at the same level it's been at, I'd be disappointed, but I expect them to grow with the program.

If you are doing option 1 twizzles (not on the same foot), which AFAIR remember, P&B do, you have to have 3 Options (new this year), one from each group. The most popular features to choose from the new Group C so far have been the entry from a 1/2 revolution jump or alternatively doing 3 sets of twizzles. So it's P&B's third feature to hope to get Level 4 on the twizzles.

Thanks Doris. I misunderstood about 3 sets of twizzles because I read an interview in the Icenetwork, Marina said that her students, the Shibs were the one of the best in twizzles in the world, she then added the third set of twizzles in the Shibs' program. However, when I looked back, Maia had problem with same foot twizzles, fell during SD at Nebelhorn. During that competition she really had problem with this element. I guess, they then changed her twizzles to 3 sets to get level 4, according to your explanation. Well, Marina had her way to say things .

To get level 4, the different foot twizzles are having to change their technique. D&W chose to do the little jump into the twizzles-leading to Charlie putting his foot down in the SA SD twizzle, I think. It just isn't as stable a way to enter a twizzle.

BTW, when looking at a 3 set twizzle, the way the teams will do them is strong foot/weak foot/strong foot, so if you're looking for trouble/form breaks, it will most often be in the 2nd set.

Coaches have been asking questions about the rule changes this year, including about the third twizzle set if a team is using the 3 sets of twizzles option:

Q. The skaters decide to use the option of the third Twizzle from the
Group C features. If there is a mistake by one or both partners in
performing these “extra” Twizzles, how does it affect the Level and the
GOE?
A. It only affects the number and type of features counted for the level.
The Judges should consider this mistake as a poor exit and not as one
of the required Twizzles and, while establishing their basic GOE
according to the marking guide included in Communication 1522 page
29, they should lower the “entry/completion” criteria by one or several
grades, like for any other type of poor exit. This may result in lowering
the GOE by one grade.

So if I am reading this correctly, the 3rd set of twizzles is an exit from the 2 sequential twizzles, just like the jump is an entrance.

To get level 4, the different foot twizzles are having to change their technique. D&W chose to do the little jump into the twizzles-leading to Charlie putting his foot down in the SA SD twizzle, I think. It just isn't as stable a way to enter a twizzle.

According to her interview, these are the two teams that Marina said had the best twizzles in the world

Whomever Marina is being interviewed about, it seems they are the best in the world at something, if not everything

But Shibs & D&W are excellent twizzlers, for sure.

It's hard to change your technique for something when you have been doing it a different way for years.

Same is true of the Golden Waltz. There are some very nice articles in Blades on Ice with interviews with a lot of the Canton, MI, teams about the SD and rule changes this year, and about other stuff as well.

Re Shibs and 3 sets of twizzles. They were practicing this variation when I saw them in Canton in September. So it was clearly an option as to which set of twizzles to incorporate into the program.

And Marina is right about Shibs and D&W twizzles - they are the best, fastest in the sport, but mistakes can be made especially at this kind of speed. Charlie, in particular, likes to push it, but like he said at Skate America, "physics gets in the way."

Re Shibs and 3 sets of twizzles. They were practicing this variation when I saw them in Canton in September. So it was clearly an option as to which set of twizzles to incorporate into the program.

And Marina is right about Shibs and D&W twizzles - they are the best, fastest in the sport, but mistakes can be made especially at this kind of speed. Charlie, in particular, likes to push it, but like he said at Skate America, "physics gets in the way."

I am not saying that they're not the best twizzles in the world but I said Marina mislead me by saying she added the third set of twizzles because they are the best. It almost sounded like she had the Shibs do extra set because they're very good, not because they did better job in 3 sets twizzles than same foot twizzles. Maia had major fall at Nebelhorn in same foot twizzles, they then changed to 3 sets to get the level4.